


A Long Night

by princeluma



Category: Zero Escape (Video Games), Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward - Fandom
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-04
Updated: 2016-07-04
Packaged: 2018-07-21 14:26:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7390828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/princeluma/pseuds/princeluma
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post-VLR ending. Alice is having trouble adjusting to life on Rhizome-9, so she decides to go for a walk through the facility―stumbling upon another sleepless soul along the way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Long Night

With a sigh, Alice started down the hallway of the Crew Quarters, feeling almost as though she was sleepwalking. _What time was it, anyway?_

Not like it really mattered, but if she had to guess, it was probably around 2 AM.

_Fuck_ , she was exhausted. She hadn't spent a long day at work or anything of the sort―though she often found herself longing for the grueling, back-breaking work that came from her job at SOIS. No, she had instead found herself being woken up once again by a night terror. They were common for her now, after all. Did she have to list the reasons?

No, she did not, but she found them running through her head anyway as she haunted the corridors of Rhizome-9. _Let's see._ She had been kidnapped, forced into a death game, discovered that she had been sent into an apocalyptic future in which the majority of humanity had been wiped out, and (somehow still the hardest to manage) she had seen the mutilated body of her dead father with her own eyes.

With all of that weighing on her, it was a surprise that she wasn't suffering from anything worse than night terrors. It wasn't like they were all that great, though. Waking up drenched in sweat―her voice hoarse and her throat throbbing in pain as she was awoken by the sound of her own screams, discovering in the morning that she had clawed at her body so much during the night that her skin was beginning to bruise―had definitely taken its toll. It was why she was sleeping in the Crew Quarters now, after all. That way she could at least control who witnessed her during such episodes.

Anyways. Where was she going? Her legs had been navigating on auto-pilot, leading her throughout the dark facility as she wallowed in self-pity. Ha. It seemed like this was the only time where she could actually let herself feel such petty emotions. She was shielded most of the time, putting on a facade of wit and indifference throughout the day―not only around others, but when she was alone too. It was really the only way to get through the day, after all. If Alice faked her emotions enough, perhaps one day she would finally fool herself.

As her finger automatically shot forward and pressed the OPEN button on the door before her, Alice finally registered where exactly she was. As if validating her realization, a blanket of light shot into her eyes, momentarily blinding her as it illuminated the small, dark room she had been standing in.

_Why is it still day...?_ she found herself thinking as she reflexively raised her elbow, shielding her eyes as they adjusted to the light. Luna had set the lighting in the B Garden on a timer quite a while ago, claiming that everyone should stick to the day-night schedule that their bodies were used to. Alice kinda thought it was a load of crap, but it was still nice of her, she supposed.

"Shit," she found herself saying under her breath as she took a step inside, the door softly closing behind her. "What the hell..."

Though the B Garden had become a pretty natural favorite "hang out" for the majority of the ex-Ambidex players―humans migrated towards what was familiar, after all, and the garden was the closest thing a lot of them had to their Earth―it hadn't really been altered much throughout their stay. Some of the puzzles had been moved around in order to make room for plates or board games, but that was about it. Which was why the scene before Alice's eyes was so damn surprising.

The actual garden had been torn up, the heavy stalks that usually carried vegetables such as tomatoes and cucumbers nowhere to be found. Giant, hastily-dug holes lied in their wake, dirt scattered messily on the grass surrounding them. Alice's mind immediately suggested that perhaps a raccoon or something had gotten in and dug up the garden, but she quickly dismissed the thought. There were obviously no raccoons on Rhizome-9, and Alice wasn't sure if the species even existed anymore. No, the culprit for this massacre was much less threatening, but somehow much more surprising.

"Clover!" Alice called out, her eyes wide in shock. "What the hell are you doing?!"

The girl immediately looked up, her mouth dropping comically in surprise. She had previously been crouched down beside the garden, a small shovel in her right hand. She looked absolutely exhausted, somehow even more so than Alice felt. Her hair was pulled back into a thick ponytail, a few loose strands hanging down and resting on her shoulders. Her knees appeared to be scraped and caked with dirt, as if she had been digging with her hands and legs. _How had she managed to get herself so dirty?_

"A-Alice!" Clover exclaimed, taking a moment to clumsily stand up, dropping her shovel in the dirt. "I... What are you doing here? It's really late!"

"Not according to the sun," Alice said, tilting her chin upwards in reference to the artificial daylight illuminating the room. "Anyway, I asked you first." She took a moment to recognize just how easily she had slipped into her usual sardonic tone of voice, despite the fact that she had only moments ago been overtaken by self-pity. And, strangely, her new change in attitude didn't seem particularly forced either. It felt almost... natural. Why was that?

Clover's cheeks flushed a bit, either due to embarrassment or perhaps just as a result of how hard she had obviously been working at destroying the garden. "Uh, well... I dunno! I just... wanted to garden."

Alice couldn't help but let out a laugh at that, finding abstract amusement in the other's statement. When Clover's face fell in response, though, Alice immediately dropped her smile and replaced it with a look of concern. "Well, alright. You're really dirty, though. Why don't you take a break and let me clean you up a little?"

Clover's blush deepened, this time obviously out of embarrassment. "A-Alright."

"Mhmm. Go sit on the bench and I'll join you in just a second, alright?"

Alice quickly strutted over to the opposite side of the garden and grabbed a small washcloth from the shed, taking a moment to generously soak the fabric in fountain water before returning to Clover's side. The other girl was sitting patiently on the bench, watching Alice's actions with a blank look on her face. It was clear that she hadn't slept much―or at all―that night either.

"Put your legs on my lap."

Clover did as she was asked, the undersides of her knees resting comfortably atop Alice's thighs. Alice noticed with amusement that she wasn't wearing socks or shoes, and huffed a little at the sight. What had happened? Had Clover just woken up in the middle of the night and ran straight to the garden to start on her little project? She was still in her pajamas, after all. Did she really not even have the time to slip on a pair of shoes...?

_How cute._

"I didn't know it was harvest season already," she said softly as she gently began to methodically scrub the dirt off of Clover's legs.

Clover laughed a little in response. "Y-Yeah... I'm sorry, Alice."

"Hm? Why? You haven't done anything to me."

She looked down, biting her lip and contemplating her answer for a moment. "I just... wanted to do _something_ , y'know? Like, on my own. Something that normal people do."

"Ah," Alice responded, continuing her work. "I... understand. But, Clover, do you even know how to garden?"

"No, not really," she admitted, laughing a little at herself. "But it didn't seem that hard! And I just thought... if no one took care of the plants, they would die..."

Alice smiled, brushing a blade of grass off of Clover's knee. "I'm sure that there's a sprinkler system set up, dear. And Luna or someone else who works here probably helps harvest and plant crops." She quickly reversed the washcloth, using the non-dirtied side as she began to clean Clover's other leg. "But, is that really why you're out here? Because you were worried about the plants?"

Clover's expression didn't change, but her voice was softer when she spoke again. "I... I dunno. I just thought it would make this place feel more like... like Earth."

Alice's hand paused, momentarily resting the washcloth on Clover's shin. She, of course, had been experiencing the same cruel homesickness. It was like missing something that didn't even exist anymore, something that had stopped existing long before they'd had the chance to begin to mourn it. Maybe if Alice and Clover had been trapped on the moon during their own time, comfortable at least with the knowledge that their friends and family were safe, they wouldn't have felt so _alien._ But that just wasn't the case. And the two of them really had no way of knowing who, if any, of their loved ones were still alive. In the end, they had only agreed on one simple fact: it would be far too sad, and far too painful to return to Earth. So they had to stay. At least Rhizome-9 offered them some form of ignorance.

"But it isn't," she found herself saying, practically thinking out loud. "It's... it's not Earth. It's not home. We can't pretend that it is, Clover."

Clover's brow furrowed, visibly upset by Alice's words. "Well, then what're we supposed to do?! My brother is... p-probably dead, and so are most of our friends...! Are you really okay with that?! You wanna just... just move on?!"

Alice shook her head, as if to wipe away the image of all of their loved ones, everyone and everything they had ever called home... gone. Dust. Dead. "We can't do anything about it. We just have to make the best of the rest of our lives."

Clover shook her head as well, though the action was much more rapid and forceful than Alice's had been. "N-No! That's... That's not fair! I―We didn't ask for this... We don't deserve this... to be trapped here forever... in a doomed future..." She pursed her lips so tightly that the expression turned into a pout. "At least... _you_ don't, Alice..."

Alice cocked her head in surprise, taken aback by the statement. "And why do you?"

The other girl shrugged, still refusing to meet Alice's eyes. "I... I dunno. I just... I've had to go through these games three different times, y'know? And I'm not even twenty years old yet..." She paused for a moment to indignantly sweep a loose strand of hair behind her ear. It was tickling her eyelashes a little bit, and she didn't need anymore reasons to start crying. "Some people might say that I just have really rotten luck, but I don't think so. At least, not anymore."

"What do you mean, Clover?"

Another shrug. "I just... I must deserve it. I just... bring bad luck with me wherever I go. My brother lost his eyesight and his left arm after _I_ was born. The two of us got kidnapped when I was only nine years old because he was getting a present for _me_... _I_ went with you on that mission and got caught right away... and then, your dad―" She cut herself off, realizing that it probably wasn't wise to bring up that particular subject. Even though it felt like ages ago, it had only been a little while since Alice had seen the dead body of her own father.

Alice's eyes widened instinctively at the mention of his death. It was something that she just absolutely could _not_ think about, much less talk about―even with Clover. Not yet, at least. After all, grief was a lifelong affair. And Alice was still deep in the denial stage.

The subject wasn't the only reason for the visible distress on her face, though. It was what Clover was saying about herself. Did she really believe all of that? That she was some bad luck charm, some harbinger of destruction and misery...? Alice wanted to console her, assure her a thousand times over that she couldn't be further from the truth, that she was oh-so very important to her, that she was her only joy in life, that she was all she really had anymore. That she was _her_ good luck.

Of course, she wasn't really one for expressing genuine emotions. So, instead of all of that, she said, "Clover, you can't truly―"

Clover shook her head, her mouth returning to that scowl-pout expression again for a moment before she continued. "That's not it, Alice! I haven't even talked about the Nonary Games y-yet." She cleared her throat, swallowing back the tremor in her chest that had caused her voice to shake. She couldn't cry. Not here, not in front of Alice. Not in front of anyone.

"I've had to see so many of my friends, my brother... _you..._ put their lives in danger! Risk their lives, their futures, everything they have... for what?! B-Because I'm cursed? Because I just... bring bad luck with me wherever I go? And I wanna do good, and I wanna help people, but... b-but I just make everything worse. So, that's why I'm sorry...!" She swallowed again, quickly reaching up and wiping away a stray tear, her face flushing in embarrassment. She didn't want to seem weak. And what was weaker than crying?!

... Of course, Alice must have already known that she was weak. She knew everything about her, after all... But that didn't make sense. If Alice knew just how useless and bothersome of a person she actually was, why did she bother to put up with her at all?! These thoughts only served to make Clover cry more, her lower lip wobbling despite her best efforts to calm herself down.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Alice said, instinctively leaning towards the other girl and playing a hand on her cheek. She didn't like to think of herself as a particularly good person―in fact, she knew for certain that she wasn't―but she at least wanted to be good to Clover. And she just couldn't help it if the sight of her best friend in tears brought out her nurturing instincts.

Brown eyes stared into green, watching them slowly fill and overflow with tears. "Listen to me," she said softly, taking the washcloth with her other hand and rubbing it gently across her cheek, clearing away both dirt and tears from her face. "You aren't cursed. And _none_ of this is your fault. Are you listening to me?" She lowered her hand and tapped the crook of her index finger underneath Clover's chin, prompting her to look up and meet her eyes. "You were dealt a shitty set of cards. That's it. All you can do is accept that."

_Was that too harsh?_ In all honesty, Alice's speech was far too similar to what she had been repeating to herself lately. But, of course, what helped her wouldn't necessarily help Clover. So... What _could_ she say to help? Alice paused for a second and used the thumb of the free hand resting on Clover's cheek to wipe away a stray tear. "It sucks. It really sucks. And you don't deserve it. Not at all."

Clover found her eyes closing as she listened to Alice's words, which had become as soft as a whisper. Why was she so good at comforting her? She was reminded of her first time on the field... the time she had royally messed up and was unable to do anything according to plan, and couldn't even find a way out of the ropes she was bound in. Alice had been the one to rescue and comfort her then, too.

She had been so much like her brother.

While Clover was outspoken and passionate, Light had always been calm and meticulous. He was her voice of reason, her moral compass. Others might have thought that he was rude or cold or heartless or something awful like that, but they couldn't have been farther from the truth. He was the best person she'd ever known... _well, one of them_.

And he'd always comforted her just like Alice did that day. He didn't lie to her or try to convince her that everything would be okay. He never pretended like she hadn't done something wrong, and he always made sure that she was held accountable for her actions. Light simply told her how to fix whatever was wrong, assured her that her troubles would not last forever, and, with a light kiss on the forehead, promised her that he would always be on her side. He comforted her with logic, and with reason. And, most of all, he never _ever_ lied to her. And that was why Clover valued what he said above everything else.

Even in a world full of liars and killers and backstabbers, the Field siblings could _always_ count on one another.

Clover had never felt that way about anyone else in her life before. But that feeling... that warmth that spread through her as Alice spoke to her... it was so much like how she felt when Light comforted her. It was the feeling of putting your life in someone else's hands. Of opening up and allowing someone else to take care of you, to see and know every single part of you. The feeling of absolute trust in another person. Of _love_ for another person.

Of course, a small part of her knew that the love she had for Alice wasn't exactly like the love she had for her brother. She loved Light like a trusted sibling, like a best friend. And she loved Alice like... well. This wasn't really the time to think about that.

Alice watched as Clover's face relaxed a bit, as the furrows in her brow slightly uncreased. She must have been saying something right. Might as well finish her speech off, then.

"... And you can cry about it, and you can be pissed about it―God knows I am―but you are absolutely _not_ allowed to blame yourself. Okay?"

Clover sniffled, opening her eyes as she leaned her cheek into Alice's palm. "You're too nice to me," she said softly. And, though she was still crying, she couldn't stop the small smile that appeared on her face. She always thought about the strangest things when she was around Alice. Like how nice it felt when she touched her, and how close their faces were to one another, Alice's breath warm and steady and comforting on her skin, and how cool and beautiful and amazing she was even when it was 2 AM and she had to deal with someone as troublesome as Clover. She didn't know if she was cursed or not, but at least she had the sense to know just how lucky she was to have such a wonderful person caring about her.

Alice smirked, playfully pinching her cheek. "What an awful thing to say!" she teased. "I am not nice at all." She took another moment to methodically wipe a persistent piece of dirt underneath Clover's right eye, and then set down the washcloth on the bench beside them. What was she to do now? Clover's crying had stopped for the moment, but she feared that a few more seconds of silence would prompt her tears to reappear. She would have to distract her.

"...Mm," she said, as a nagging question soon popped into her head. "I forgot to ask earlier. Why exactly do you have dirt on your _face_?"

The other girl flushed beet-red. "Ah...! Well, I..." She reached up and absentmindedly twirled a loose strand of hair―a habit she always did when she was embarrassed. "I've been out here since, like, midnight. And I guess in the middle of digging and stuff, I got really really tired! So I kinda just... took a nap. In the... dirt."

Alice couldn't help it. The mental image was just too funny. "Y-You... Pfffft... Oh my _God_ , Clover!" A loud, uncontrollable laugh poured out of her, accompanied by a huge, beaming grin that appeared on her face. What a silly _silly_ girl. Who in their right mind would ever do such a thing? She had known Clover for over a year now, but she still found herself being surprised by her. No matter how well Alice thought she knew her, Clover always managed to pull something out of left field and absolutely amaze her.

Despite what most people may think, Alice loved silliness. And Clover was as silly as they came.

Clover frowned, blushing even deeper. "Hey! It's not nice to make fun of someone!"

The other girl grinned, unable to contain her laughter. She knew that Clover was embarrassed, and she did feel a _little_ bad, but... Well, it was like she'd said before. She wasn't a very nice person. "I... Pffft... I guess you took the term 'flower bed' a little too literally!"

Clover's face scrunched up in an attempt to feign annoyance. She wasn't particularly upset with Alice for laughing at her, though. Sure, she was embarrassed, but... seeing Alice genuinely smile like that... it was really nice. So she didn't mind a little minor humiliation. It _was_ a pretty silly thing to do, after all.

Alice grinned in response to the other girl's expression, reaching forward and pinching her cheek once again. "Pfft... Ah... I'm sorry! It's just... ah. Very... cute."

Clover's eyebrows shot up so high it seemed as though they would fly off of her face. " _Cute?!_ "

It was Alice's turn to blush now. "I, uh... Yes. I stand by it."

Almost in unison, the two of them looked away, a small smile creeping onto Clover's face.

Alice, on the other hand, was stunned. She was a lot of things, but she was never so... _forthcoming._ Sure, she'd jokingly called Clover pet names like "dear" and "darling" before, but she'd never meant it seriously. She didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea about―

Gah. _Who was she kidding?_ It wasn't a wrong idea at all. Alice was very _very_ interested in Clover. She had been since the two of them had met. And that interest had soon enough manifested into infatuation, and that infatuation only deepened throughout their relationship. Soon enough, Alice was forced to face the truth.

She... had a _crush._

_Crush._ The word itself was so juvenile. But, she supposed, juvenile was a very apt description of the way she acted around her. The way her heart fluttered in her presence, the way she always somehow brought a smile onto her face, the way she found her skin heating up when they were close to one another―so close that, in one small movement, Alice could lower her face and press her lips to― _Fuck._

She was in deep.

Fortunately, it didn't seem like Alice was the only one having such obscure thoughts. Clover also seemed to be lost in her own head, still refusing to meet the other's eyes. _What was on her mind...?_ Alice had to suppress the urge to ask what she was thinking. She prided herself in her ability to read others―it was a necessary skill that all SOIS agents had to have, of course―but even her sharp abilities were failing her. Clover wasn't usually particularly difficult to figure out, and she'd even admitted herself that she was something like an open book. Alice liked that about her. After living a life full of secrets and paranoia, it was nice to be around someone so genuine―someone who didn't feel the need to hide everything she was feeling.

So... why couldn't she read her now? It frustrated Alice to her core. Had what she said bothered her? Clover wasn't usually one to shy away from compliments―at least genuine ones from people she liked―but she also never failed to speak her mind when she was unhappy with something. So... what was up? If she wasn't upset or offended... was she... pleased?

The answer was undoubtedly yes. Clover would remember Alice calling her cute for as long as she lived... as well as the look on her face and the light blush that appeared on her cheeks after she said it. Alice never got flustered―at least, Clover had _assumed_ that it was impossible to fluster Alice―but the way she looked just then seemed as close to the emotion as she could get.

"Well..." she said, her smile widening. "If I'm cute... then _you're_ nice."

Alice let out a surprised laugh, a grin appearing on her face in turn. "Now, that's just not fair!"

"Of course it is! If you're gonna compliment me, then I get to compliment you back!"

"No way! I was just telling the objective _truth_. You, Clover Field, are undeniably cute! Stating said fact doesn't make it a compliment!"

"See?" Clover said, smiling triumphantly. "You're _nice._ "

Alice huffed, absentmindedly reaching up and resting her palm on Clover's cheek once again. "Only to you."

Clover leaned into her touch, closing her eyes. If Alice was only nice to her, then she must have been the luckiest person on the planet.

... Okay, maybe that wasn't really true. But she sure felt like it in that moment.

And perhaps it was that overwhelming sentiment that led Clover to turn her cheek slightly and rest her lips against Alice's palm to plant a small, delicate kiss on her skin.

Alice's eyebrows shot up in surprise, taken aback by the gesture. The two girls had always been close, and Alice had even kissed Clover's cheek a couple times throughout their friendship, but... neither of them had even made a move as intimate as _that_. It may not have seemed like much to an outside observer, but to the two of them... Clover's action was electric. It was like a lightning bold had jolted through her, sent from Clover's lips straight into Alice's bloodstream. It was the cliché fireworks, the overwhelming feeling of happiness you get when you share an intimate moment with someone you love.

Alice felt her heart flutter in response to the gesture, blood immediately rushing to her cheeks. "Clover..." she said softly, staring down at the other girl.

Clover's face immediately flushed as she instinctively looked up to meet Alice's eyes at the mention of her name. She immediately thought better of it, though, and forced herself to look down instead. She was far too embarrassed to look her in the eyes!

_What had come over her just then?_ Why did she think that it was a good idea to... to do something like that? To kiss her... her best friend? Alice obviously hated it! What else would she think?! Even if they _were_ best friends, it was crazy to think that Alice would... would _enjoy_ being kissed by Clover. Even on the hand! Alice was cool, and beautiful, and wonderful, and... and far too good for her! W _hat the hell was wrong with her?!_

"I-I'm so sorry," she said, beginning to pull away from her hand.

Alice immediately shook her head, reaching up to cup her other cheek with her free hand and forcing her to remain there. "Don't you dare apologize," she said, her voice stronger now. "... Especially not before I get to do this."

And with that, she leaned down and planted a kiss on Clover's lips. Sure, Clover may have _technically_ made the first move, but Alice would not turn down the opportunity to make a big romantic gesture. In fact, she'd been waiting for a moment like this to occur. For Clover to give her the tiniest bit of prompting, the smallest inclination that she returned Alice's feelings for her... or, at least wasn't disgusted by them. And what was that kiss if not an open invitation to make a big romantic gesture?

Clover's eyes widened in response to the kiss, obviously taken aback. _Was... was this actually happening? Was Alice_ actually _kissing her right then?_ Did that mean... did that mean that she actually... liked her back?!

Well, if that was true... then she had no time to lose! She absolutely _had_ to kiss her back! Clover would have loved to have a few seconds to process this brand new information, to savor the feeling of absolute bliss that came over her as soon as her lips were touched by Alice's... but there just wasn't time! She had to hurry and kiss her back before Alice changed her mind!

And she did.

And somehow her hands found their way to Alice's neck, to her cheeks, cupping them tightly just as Alice was hers. She was so happy she felt like she would to burst, like she would just explode right there into a million tiny pieces of love and happiness. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt this happy, this at peace. In fact... she couldn't remember a time when she felt as good as she did right then.

She had always fantasized about her first kiss. About finding that certain someone, above falling in love and being swept up in some romantic love affair, about running across an empty field towards them―probably in the rain―and being picked up in their arms and twirled around in circles and kissed all over. It was a childish fantasy, something a naive ten year old had dreamed up to comfort herself in the middle of the night. An expectation that could never possibly be realized.

And, yet... it all seemed so insignificant compared to right then. Compared to Alice. Compared to the feeling of being held by her, of being kissed by her, of being cared for by her. Clover didn't need childish dreams anymore. She and Alice had their own future to make. Even a small, insignificant one hundreds of thousands away from the planet they called home.

And Alice was right. Things _did_ suck. And they'd probably always suck. But... they would suck a lot less with her.

Life was not perfect at that moment. And, for the most part, life would never be perfect again. Their problems were not automatically fixed―their sadness and worries did not immediately vanish. But they became easier to bear within one another's presence.

So the two of them shared their first kiss underneath the harsh artificial sunlight light of the garden, surrounded by piles of dug-up vegetables and dirt. And then, when Clover simply couldn't keep her eyes open any longer, Alice hitched the sleepy girl up into her arms and carried her off to bed, allowing herself the luxury of sleeping side-by-side with another person for the first time since she was a child.

They weren't whole again. They weren't fixed.

But they weren't alone. And they would never be again.


End file.
